Monthly Archives: July 2015

This chapter is a long one, following not only Ranold’s master plan (anybody guess what he’s up to?), and following recent NPO converts Bia and Felicia. So we’ll deal with the ladies first…

Jenkins actually remembers this time the skull phones that he invented, and Bia calls Paul in the middle of the night, waking him via “tone in his tooth.” Bia has vague updates about Ranold (nothing Paul really needed to know, just that Ranold’s getting paranoid), but the real issue is that in reading “this document of yours, the salvation thing,” Bia thinks is it “too easy.” Paul makes her reread the passage about being saved by grace through faith alone, and no need to do good deeds, etc.

Not for nothing, but Paul is an excellent example of a Christian who’s never done a single good deed in his entire life. Hell, Bia’s problem is that she wants to do some good deeds and “earn” her way, but Paul talks her out of it, since no amount of good deeds will make up for all the bad things she’s done.

Makes sense. Paul was a jerk when he was an atheist, and he’s a jerk now that he’s a Christian. For Bia, still out in the world as she is, she might make people suspicious if her behaviour suddenly changed.

(Not for nothing, but Paul was a rotten parent both before and after he got saved. The last book made a big deal about how devoted a parent Bia was to her two grown children. But now, since her son’s death, she hasn’t mentioned her daughter even once. I figure this is more a function of Jenkins forgetting she existed, rather than Bia neglecting her.)

***

Meanwhile, Felicia and Cletus also can’t sleep. Cletus is still pissed (and who can blame him?). Felicia is mad at God, too, but only “part of [her].” She’s mostly angry at herself for being “so blind and stupid all these years.” Yeah, for not believing in a god that is invisible and silent and in whom it is illegal to believe.

What fools atheists are, amirite?

And—

Wait a second.

Okay, I turned the page, and that is IT. Nine lines of Felicia and Cletus talking about their comparative anger at God, and it just cuts off at the page-turn. Last line, from Cletus:

“Part of you [is angry at God]. All of me is.”

Deep.

Well, I guess that makes it that much easier for me to get to Ranold’s big plan this weekend!

And ripping apart some RTC lit is a great way to treat yo self—so let’s get to it!

Yanno, every now and then, Jerry Jenkins seems to fear that his readers might forget that they’re supposed to hate Ranold. After all, Ranold is an overbearing, hard-driving guy who is ambitious to a fault and thinks he’s always right.

And Paul is the one with those qualities that we’re supposed to like, gorammit!

So, Jenkins makes sure that we note that Ranold is also paranoid. So paranoid that he wakes in the middle of the night, concerned about the trustworthiness of the men in his new “trusted inner circle.”

Just so we’re clear, he doesn’t doubt Bia’s loyalty for a moment. It’s the other guys. In particular, a youngish guy called Dick Aikman. Out of an abundance of caution, he leaves a “phone message” for Bia, telling her to get lie tests and loyalty oaths done on everyone.

Oh, and Jenkins makes sure to let us know that Ranold has a midnight snack while he’s up.

‘Cause he’s fat, ha!

The next day, Bia successfully talks him out of the whole loyalty-testing idea, arguing that it will be bad for morale. Also, it’ll out her as a believer (she tactfully leaves this last bit unsaid).

So Ranold goes and has LUNCH (’cause he’s still fat, you see, and it gets funnier all the time!). Delivery from a ribs place, which leaves him feeling “logy.”

Ranold is of my generation, and I don’t think I have ever heard anybody even close to my age use the word “logy.” Just sayin’.

Anyway, this exciting chapter ends with Ranold inviting Aikman to go Bern with him as his bodyguard.

And thus I am on the edge of my seat!

(Actually, I really should be. Because believe it or not, Ranold actually has a plan. Or rather, Jenkins is going somewhere with this. I’m as shocked as you are.)